


Our Future Hearts

by mizufallsfromkumo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuban Lance (Voltron), Dorks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Garrison!Shiro, He needs to chill, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Lance is a sweetheart, M/M, Married Couple, Older Lance, Overworking, Pep talks, Talking, Time Travel, Young Shiro, shiro is stressed, stressed Shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 11:56:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14873321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizufallsfromkumo/pseuds/mizufallsfromkumo
Summary: “You know, you could warn a guy, if you’re going to drop out of nowhere.”  The man said dramatically as he pulled his hand away.It caused Shiro to look up from the note, in surprise, his brows pulling together.  Because that wasn’t how it worked. There is nothing he can do in warning, he never knows where he’s going, and when he’ll end up.“Notyouyou,”  The man huffed with a roll of his blue eyes. Almost like he knew what Shiro was going to say.  He gestured at Shiro lazily, before he grinned. “But, you know, older you can warn me. Scared me half to death, face planting in the grass like you did.”





	Our Future Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone: "Oh look they grew old together" or "they in young love but what to grow old together"  
> Me: -Shows up with time travel fic- Sup?
> 
> Or at least that's what it feels like. But I love this idea. I've actually done it for another pairing before, and just couldn't pass up doing it again when I thought of it for the team. Also it really satisfies all the Older!Lance and Young!Shiro stuff I just can't help but love. 
> 
> Nothing happens between them, other than like a hug and a pep talk, cause reasons I shouldn't have to name...

Sometimes, the universe just  _ decides _ to randomly send Shiro traveling though time.

Like he needs a temporal vacation for some reason to when he’s like twenty with glittering military medals.  Or his seventeen year old self needs to be reminded what is like to color with crayons. Or like some old wrinkling version needs to listen about his day at school in some park bench because things were simpler.  Or something dumb like that.

Shiro doesn’t really know how it works.

Just that it does.

And there is nothing he can do to stop it.

So when Shiro felt the tingling coil under his skin, he knew it was only a matter of time.  Making him desperately type out his current train of thought about Flight Theory before he goes.  Because it’s good, and Shiro would rather not lose it to whatever time trip activities the universe had in store for him.  

Especially considering he had four papers to write, that he wanted to be perfect, and two tests coming up.  

The stress was already nipping at his heels from the workload.  Shiro did not want to add being sent somewhere in time by the universe to his list of things he was stressing about it.  Wasn’t it bad enough that trying to live up to the whole  _ world's _ expectations of him was already on there.

The world suddenly shifted around him.

Dizzily spinning and shifting before his eyes in a way Shiro can’t really describe.  Just that it happens and it would be really nice he could maybe throw up after, like as a complimentary prize.  But he never does, as Shiro has tried.

Shiro cursed as he fell forward.  The desk and chair from his dorm gone from underneath him.  He landed harshly on the ground, which is grassy and pleasantly warmed by the sun, but still  _ hard _ , before he could even try and catch himself.  His nose blooms with pain from the impact of his face to the ground.  

His eyes instantly watering because the pain as he just lied there defeated.

Or that’s what he was telling himself.  

Because it totally wasn’t because he didn’t finish typing his thought out.  Or the fact that he spent the last three hours stuck on it when he should have maybe been trying sleeping.  And it was most definitely not because he was stressed about the workload the Galaxy Garrison had piled on to him.  

No, it was totally from the pain of hitting his nose on the hard grassy ground.

Why does the universe hate him?

A pang of metal rang through the air sharply.  Followed shortly by the sound of someone male talking above him hurriedly.  And for a moment, Shiro think’s it’s Japanese, before realizing the sounds were all  _ wrong _ .

Shiro breath just hitched in reply...from the  _ pain of his nose. _

After a moment, someone was pulling him off the ground.  Helping Shiro get to his feet, or at least sitting up so he wasn’t lying on the ground like a sad limp noodle.  He really would have preferred to be a sad limp noodle on the ground than anything else. 

Shiro just groaned in reply to the action, because of his  _ nose hurts. _

“Hey, it’s alright.”  The voice for before suddenly said in English, “I got you.”

And then Shiro was yanked to his feet with a surprised ‘eep’ at the action.  

His feet clumsily sort themselves out from underneath him. Shiro makes note to blame the universe slinging him through time and space, for his lack of grace as he was guided along.  He doesn't know where he is being directed. His hands were covering his face and hiding the wetness of his face from the pain...and  _ only _ the pain.

Not that it matters really.  Shiro likely won’t be there longer than thirty minutes when the universe decides to spit him back into his dorm room like he never left.

He can assume he is outside, though, by the grass...and the heat.  Granted hotter than Shiro was use to, even at the Garrison, and far more humid.  And there is a lingering smell of chlorine in the air, so he can guess that a pool is near by.

Whoever was handling him, guided him gently into a seat with a plush cushion.

“Alright let me see,”  the voice said, it’s not his...or at least the voice he remembers from meeting older versions of himself.  

There is a soft pull at Shiro’s wrists.  

Shiro resisted slightly. 

A stern sigh came from in front of him.  “Shiro, trust me...okay.” 

The use of his name by the other startles Shiro a little.  Because this person knows him. And judging by the fact that they are not flipping out that a teenager in a Galaxy Garrison PT shirt and shorts just materialized in his yard, he also knows about the random time trips.  

Shiro’s never meet someone  _ other _ than himself one these trips.

“I just want to make sure you didn’t break your nose.”  The person continued as Shiro let’s him pull his hands away from his face.  

A bright burst of sunlight purred into Shiro’s eyes, before giving way to a blue eyes and a kind tan face of a man in his mid to late thirties if Shiro had to guess.  A soft looking brown hair that seemed to glow as it was backlit by the sun. A thin and narrow scar along his left cheekbone and ear.

The man grinned at Shiro as he started at him, carefully examining Shiro’s face at the same time.  “There you go,” he started brightly as his hands fell away from the teens wrist. “Not so bad now, was it?”

Shiro can only stare at the man kneeling in front of him stunned.  Lost in the shining warm blues of his eyes.

_ Like the ocean _ , Shiro found himself thinking.

“Well, you’re in luck, your nose is fine.”  The man beams easily as he pushed himself up to stand.  “Nothing a little ice can’t heal. I’ll be right back.”

And then the man was gone.  Having walked away from Shiro in one fluid and quick motion.  Moving towards the house behind Shiro, and disappearing through a sliding glass door.  

Leaving Shiro just sitting where he was left.  

Which from the looks of it looked like nice finished pouch area, Shiro had only ever seen in movies from the States.  A nice, slightly rushing, metal dining table with a bright blue umbrella sporting out of the middle on one side of the patio.  And the nice patio set Shiro was sitting on the other. A rectangular pool glittering in the sunlight, surrounded by a yard full of grass.

Shiro really wonders where in the world he actually was.

The sound of a sliding glass door being peeled open knocked Shiro from his staring.  He turned to see the man heading strolling over easily to him. Easily holding out a bag of ice wrapped haphazardly in a towel.

“Thank you.”  Shiro said as he accepted the ice and towel.  

Quickly placing it on his face.  Despite the fact the ache in his nose was starting to fade into dull ache that tingled more than it hurt.

“You can thank yourself actually.”  The man said easily as he rounded the seat Shiro was in.  Plopping down heavily on the patio couch near Shiro, and resting his feet up against the wicker table.  “See.”

The man leaned over from his spot, holding out his hand where a purple post-it note was stuck to his fingers.  He reached and leaned more so Shiro could read it himself. The scribble of his own script, slightly lax and messier for Shiro’s own current writing, on the post-it in black marker.  

‘ _ For my nose -Shiro’ _ it read, with a small doodle of a smiley face sticking its tongue out.

Shiro reached out for it, gently peeling it off the man’s finger slowly.

“You know, you could warn a guy, if you’re going to drop out of nowhere.”  The man said dramatically as he pulled his hand away. 

It caused Shiro to look up from the note, in surprise, his brows pulling together.  Because that wasn’t how it worked. There is nothing he can do in warning, he never knows where he’s going, and when he’ll end up.  

“Not  _ you _ you,”  The man huffed with a roll of his blue eyes. Almost like he knew what Shiro was going to say.  He gestured at Shiro lazily, before he grinned. “But, you know, older you can warn me. Scared me half to death, face planting in the grass like you did.”

“Sorry.” Shiro apologized, sheepishly trying to hide under the ice and towel.

The man made a small huffing sound.  

Like he really didn’t care in the grand scheme, because this wasn’t like the first time something this had happened.  And Shiro supposed that if he knew about the the time travel thing, then it had most _ definitely _ happened before.  He would just like some warning

But it’s not like it’s easy.  Shiro doesn’t really know the date or time when he goes somewhere in the future. Nor does he ever  _ tell  _ himself.  But he supposed if he could remember some details about things from the event to guess, then maybe he could warn someone.  Though memorizing the exact worn shirt and swim trunk combo the man before him was wearing wasn’t going to be helpful if he wore it alot.

“Um...if you don’t mind me asking...uh, who are you?”  Shiro asked after a moment a silence passed between them.

The man blinked at him for a moment, before it hit him that Shiro doesn’t know him yet.  “Oh right, quazinak, you haven’t actually meet me yet.” The man said as sprung to sit up straighter on his spot for the couch.  “Lance,” The man introduced himself with a grin. “Sorry, usually you kind of know who I am when this happens. Usually you are not this... _ young. _  How older are you, anyway, Shiro?”

“Fifteen…” Shiro informed politely.

And Lance’s eyes almost go comically wide at the number.  His mouth fell open slightly as he started at Shiro before him.  For a moment it doesn’t really seem to click in Lance’s head. Only to do just that, but in a way like Lance remembered where he had seen Shiro look fifteen before.

Shiro shifted slightly under the gaze. 

Of course Lance probably saw him on the news for getting into the Galaxy Garrison so young.  Or saw his face plastered all over the place from the new recruit campaign the Garrison was formulating for him to be the face of. 

Then, “Tiny Garrison Shiro,” Lance whispered barely loud enough for Shiro to even hear.  A smile gleefully blooming on his lips, before he laughed loudly.

Shiro glared at Lance for a moment.  

Hiding his flushing cheeks before the ice pack he doesn’t even really need anymore.

Shiro had always been a few centimeters shorter than average his whole life.  But never exactly the shortest in his classes by any standard. Rather a normal height for his classmates both in Japan and at the Garrison.  

And he had meet future versions of himself that stood a whole head and half taller than him it felt like.  Built and filled out. So he knows Lance’s words aren’t really anything to take to heart. Nothing more than light teasing.

Still though...

“I am not  _ tiny.”   _ Shiro complained.

Lance hummed whimsically, as he stopped laughing.  “In comparison to my Shiro, you are very small.” He mused with a teasing sparkle of a look of his eyes.  “I mean I’ve seen pictures, but you really were a weird little stick.”

Shiro pouted childish at Lance.

“Hey, if it makes you feel better,”  Lance started easily. “I was kind of a bean pole for a while, and by while, I mean most of teenage and young adult life.”

Shiro hummed in reply.  

A silence passed over them for a moment.  

And it’s nice and content, in the warmth of the sun, despite it beating down on him.  Shiro start down at his bare feet against the warm concrete of the porch. Poking at toe at the wicker table slightly.

“Where am I?” Shiro asked, glancing up at Lance.  Who blinked at him for a moment. The question of which version of himself Shiro was asking hung in the air before Lance even moved to say anything.  “The older me, where is he at?”

“The store, I think.”  Lance answered easily as he looked around for something.  Only to glance over Shiro’s shoulder at the patio table and give up.  “I don’t really know which one, you just told me you were running some errands before everyone comes over tonight and left.  So I am assuming the store, because we ran out of rosemary two days ago, and Hunk yelled and lectured at us last time he was over and we didn’t have any.”

Shiro nodded at the words.

It made little sense to him.  

He had no idea who Hunk was, or who Lance meant by everyone.  Even though Lance said it all like he should know. Shiro suppose somewhere down the line, he would know exactly what Lance meant.

However he doesn’t miss Lance use of the word ‘we’.

How  _ they  _ ran out of rosemary, and  _ they  _ were yelled out in the past for not having it.  Like Lance and Shiro are some kind of little unit.  Together in the house behind him. 

All with a creeping edge of domesticy, Shiro could remember his parents having when they called.  When they told him they had to run to the store for something. Or they needed to fix something that broke.

“So you’ve started at the Garrison, right?”  Lance suddenly asked as he leaned back on the patio couch.  

His voice knocking Shiro from his thinking.  He realized Lance is trying to make small talk instead of just awkwardly sitting there until Shiro disappeared again.  

Which was nice.

Shiro nodded in quick reply.

Lance hummed as he nodded back at Shiro.  “Everything going alright for you? Classes and homework aren’t too much?”  Lance asked curiously.

Shiro turned to blink at the older man lounging on the couch.  

The teen felt his throat go dry.  And no matter how many times he swallowed the dryness didn’t seem to go away one bit.  

He doesn’t know how to answer the question.  

Because classes were fine, it’s just the workload they were slowly burying him under.  Like they were just trying to see how much he could take before he broke and was forced to try again when he as older.

“It’s just, I know it can be... _ difficult _ leaving home for the Garrison.”  Lance said, easily. “Especially when English is a second language.  I can only imagine what it’s like shoveling being the  _ youngest _ recruit to get in on top of that.”

And something in Shiro’s brain breaks.

His vision blurs, and the towel suddenly isn’t just wet for the condensation of the ice melting. 

Shiro tried to bury his face in the coolness of the ice before Lance can notice.  And he could just blame the fact that is accidentally bumped his nose again. And he was not crying from stress or exhaustion because everything had to be  _ perfect _ .  The world was watching and Shiro was a prodigy.  He couldn’t fall on his face after working so hard to prove that he could go to the Garrison so young.

But the stress has cracked him, and he can feel his shoulders shake slightly with a shuddering sob.

Shiro curse at himself when he realized he didn’t really know why he was crying.

Because it was a little bit of the stress and exhaustion for trying to complete his assignments in a more than timely manner.  And making sure his studies were as perfect as he could humanly manage. But it was also a little because Lance asked, and no one really asked how he was doing before.

They all just kind of reminded him of upcoming assignments or complimented his latest received grade, or time in the flight simulator.  Or in the case of some students jealousness sneered at him when discussing his progress. 

Only his parents had really asked how he was holding up when they called.  And even then he give them a small white lie about how things were going so flawlessly and the workload wasn’t anything more than he could bare.  Like any good child would so his mother wouldn’t worry more than she already did.

“Hey, ssshhh, it’s alright.”  Lance’s voice cuts through the silent sobs gently. The towel and ice were taken away from his face softly.  Shiro could hear the ice clatter against each other in a the bag as Lance tossed them away. “Sssh, it’s okay.”

“It’s so stressful.”  Shiro blurted out, trying to curl in on himself.

Only Lance doesn’t let him.  His hands so easily move to Shiro’s face, guiding it into his shoulder, with ease.  “I know.” Lance returned so easily. 

So calm its like a comfort, even though it doesn’t sound like he exactly knows.  He just knows Shiro is hurting from it, and that was enough for him to understand.   But also knows enough of the struggles, of leaving home for another country and another language, that the statement rings true.  And he does understand everything.

“I just want to do good.”  Shiro admitted. 

“And you will, I promise,”  Lance breathed out gently as he patted at Shiro’s hair.  Before he suddenly goes rigid. “Sorry, ugh...spoiler alert.”  

Shiro moved to glance up at Lance to find him smiling at him with a nervous chuckle.

The laugh bubbles out of Shiro’s lips before he even realized it was there.  And Lance’s smile brightens a little. He watches him closely though, as Shiro’s laughter died down.

“But trust me, Shiro, you are going to do great.   _ Really _ great.”  Lance continued easily after.  “Like you can’t wrap your head around how great.  And your going to inspire a lot of people to do what you do.”  Lance stated with sparkling eyes that Shiro believes him. “It’s not going to be easy.  Honestly it’s going to be the furthest thing from easy sometimes. But you’ll do it and you’ll get here.”

“But I am here,” Shiro sniffled out an attempt at a joke.

“ _ Older _ you will get here.”  Lance huffed, his fingers dancing against Shiro’s neck, tickling him, as he grabbed his face.  The grip was firm, preventing the teen from escaping the feeling, but still gentle. “Stop being smart, it is unbecoming, and you are going to make things worse for yourself.  Because not only did you not tell me teenage you was coming, but that you also were little smart ass.”

“That sounds like future me’s problem.”  Shiro countered.

Lance snorted loudly at the comment.  Pulling his hands away from Shiro’s face to suddenly laugh at it.  Leaving back slightly on the wicker table he was sitting on.

Shiro watched him carefully as the older man laughed.  

Wondering just how he came into his life in the future, because he can already feel like he’s something special.  Shiro didn’t need to see the flash of a metal ring on the man’s finger to know that. His laughter already had butterflies fluttering in Shiro’s stomach.  Pushing Shiro’s consuming stress and worries away to the back of his mind.

“You really mean all that.”  Shiro asked when Lance’s laughter faded to giggles.  “All the stuff about doing great and inspiring people.”

Lance nodded confidently at the teen with a soft smile on his lips.  “I know for a fact that there is a boy in Cuba, working really hard to follow after you.  And he’s going to save your ass so many times, you should buy him all the Dulce de Leche ice cream whenever he wants and never complain.  Especially from the store on 4th and Main cause that’s his favorite.”

Shiro blinked at Lance...because that was oddly... _ specific. _

Yet before Shiro can ask, the world shifts.

Spins and twirls and makes Shiro really wish he could just throw up all ready.

And then his computer was in front of him.  

The type cursor blinking on the digital document.  The thought he was typing out a word or two away from being complete.  But more than enough of it is typed out that he finish the thought and expand on it more easily after taking a break.  

Shiro saved his work and shut down his computer, before climbing into bed for the night.

His paper wasn’t due for another two weeks anyway.

He could take a break for some sleep.  

After all, he could only guess how long the road was to meeting Lance would be.

* * *

“Hey, I thought I paid the really cute pool boy to clean the pool, not sit around on my patio furniture.”  Shiro teased easily as he slide open the main sliding glass door to their porch. Easily stepping out into the summer humid heat of Florida, with a wide grin.

Lance turned to look at him at the sound of Shiro’s voice.  Smiling up at Shiro with a soft fondness as he approached the patio set.  But his fingers were fiddling with the drawstring of his swimsuit mindlessly, like he was lost thought a bit.  

Shiro dropped down on the lounge beside to Lance’s right.  Carefully moving a bag of ice and a wet towel away. Tossing them on the table lightly as he moved to lay down and wait for Lance to say something.  Even though he already had an idea of what was possibly on Lance’s mind.

“Pidge just called me,”  Shiro started when Lance didn’t say anything after a few moments.  “The Castleship just landed in Cape Canaveral. So everyone should be over in a vargas or so.  That is if Keith doesn’t decide to fly everyone in his new fancy ship.”

“I hope not.”  Lance suddenly said.  “There is no where to park the thing.”

“I know that’s why I begged Pidge to get Keith to agree to taking a car, and she said Coran was already working on it.”  Shiro returned, already knowing it is going to work.

After all Coran liked cars for some reason.  Never failed to pass up a chance to ride around in one, because driving was...well Coran driving a car was just  _ not _ a good idea.  Too many buttons distracting as Lance but it after the whole event.

Lance hummed in returned.

“What’s got you so quiet, Beautiful.”   Shiro asked, reaching out to nudge Lance’s arm.

“You,”  Lance answered easily.

“Me?”  

Lance nodded slowly, turning his gaze to actually meet Shiro’s eyes.  He opened his mouth to say something, but it came out with a sigh. “It just…” Lance sighed again, this time more heavy than the first.  “It just kind of reminded me a little bit of the first time it happened.”

Shiro hummed lightly.  Remembering when the first time the universe flung him somewhere in Lance’s presentence.  It had decided to plop the freshly captured version of himself in his place. Lance had held him so tightly, and eased away all his fears and panic as best he could, before they were switched back.  And then Lance had held Shiro so tightly again and sobbed, apologizing for not being able to do more.

“Thank you,”  Shiro said easily, moving in the lounge to lean over and kiss Lance’s temple.  “You were exactly what I needed.”

Lance huffed like he was annoyed, or talking with Shiro’s teenage self was the worst experience to ever happen to him.  But he smiled widely under Shiro’s affections. “Did you get ice cream?” He asked suddenly.

“What? No!”  Shiro said looking at Lance confused.  “Why would I buy you ice cream?”

“Takashi, I just told you.”  Lance snapped loudly.

“Hm...technically you told me like 20 some years ago.”  Shiro corrected playfully.

“ _ Kashi! _ ”  Lance groaned.  “I saved your ass from the Galra more time than I can count.”

Shiro suddenly couldn’t keep his laughter in any more.  He unceremoniously snorted as Lanced turned to glare at him heatedly. Opening his mouth to reprimand Shiro for not doing what he was told, before it seemed to dawn on him what he was doing.  

Dragging him along.  Because, Shiro always bought him ice cream for the store and 4th and Main whenever he could.  That was fact.

“You’re the worst, I want a divorce.”  Lance pouted, suddenly swinging a pillow at Shiro’s head.

“Guess that ice cream is mine now.” Shiro declared suddenly rolling off the patio’s lounge.  Quickly bolting for the sliding glass door before Lance could even move.

“ _ Shiro!”   _ Lance called behind him with laughter in his voice.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, so I just love the idea of one person in a pairing have the ability to time travel to other times (and versions of themselves) and meeting their significant other before they is like any thing really between them. That just makes me so happy. 
> 
> And just give me little Garrison!Shiro, okay I need him. Being a little overachiever and stressing out. While Lance is just like chill and knows, and give him a pep talk. 
> 
> Maybe I'll right the first time Shiro time travels in Lance's presence, cause it also gives me feels.
> 
> I don't know. I hope you enjoyed, see you tomorrow.


End file.
